MARY CONWAY revels in a powerful reminder that human lives are not defined by physical perfection
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Page after page of wondrous revelation
The largely unknown and historically neglected Caucasus emerges as a land of never-ending fascination, writes STEVE ANDREW
(L to R) Cover: the three-nave Alanian church of Shoana from the early 10th century in Karachay-Cherkessia, Russian Federation; The 2,415-metre-high mountain Ilandagh, the ‘Snake Mountain,’ in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan
[(L to R) )Alexander Svirkin / Christoph Baumer]
PAUL DONOVAN recommends the fine performances in this account of the pre-war meeting between the US president and the British king
TECLYN AROD relishes an intimate celebration of jazz improvisation that mixes local and national musicians
The missing sister, the vengeful WAG, cruise ship claustrophobia, and reanimated Avengers
Three great releases of lost concerts by Duke Ellington Orchestra, John Taylor & Stan Sulzman, and Joe Henderson
To rescue Kahlo from the clutches of the corporate art market, we need to acknowledge the overt and covert political dimensions of the work, demands GAVIN O’TOOLE
History of the Caucasus Vol 1
At the Crossroads of Empire
by Christoph Baumer
IB Tauris £27
BY any standard, the Caucasus is a vast geographical area, dominated by beautiful landscapes of snow-capped mountains and steep-sided valleys, its often unique ecosystems harbour a multitude of fascinating animal and plant species.
Its human population is likewise just as interesting, composed as it is of a complex and ever-changing plethora of nations, languages, and cultures.
Although the term “cultural hearth” has fallen out of favour in anthropological circles, if ever it could be applied to an area, then the Caucasus would definitely fit the remit, antecedents to many a civilisation having their origins there.
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